Blog Archives

Even with all the advances of high performance buildings, I still find the concept of net-zero energy buildings (NZEB) shocking and fascinating. The technology is here (thanks in part to NEMA member products), and it feels like a realization of…

Last May, I wrote about how Smart Grid was integrated into one of my favorite video games, The Sims 2. At the time, I questioned how Smart Grid technologies might be featured in the game’s sequel, The Sims 3. Well,…

Reading news is one of my favorite hobbies (it even probably ranks higher than watching TV). Below are some recent items related to the electrical industry that I found interesting. Captain Planet would approve: USA Today says that Oregon is…

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for news about electric cars. Of course, as a news junkie, I might have a skewed sense of what counts as exciting. Below are some of my favorites. An interesting way to get…

Today, DOE announced $104.7 million in funding for projects at seven DOE National Laboratories, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. One of the project types is for Advanced Battery Prototype Fabrication and Testing Facilities.…

I just heard about The EV Project, which officially launched last month. The Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), using a $99.8 million grant from DOE, plans to install 11,210 chargers for electric vehicles in five states. During the 36-month project,…

A few days ago, The Kurilpa Bridge in Brisbane officially opened, and it’s been referred to as the “largest pedestrian and cycle bridge.” It’s 470 meters long, and around 36,500 people will use the bridge each week. It features a…

The turbines started turning on the world’s largest wind farm yesterday in Texas. According to an article from the AP, the 627 turbines cover 100,000 acres over four counties, with a record-setting capacity of 781.5 megawatts. I didn’t realize that…

Headlines involving smart metering seem to have been multiplying in the last few months, including projects that involve NEMA members (recent press releases here, here, and here). To see an interesting visual representation of metering initiatives on a global scale,…

NEMA standards make appearances in a number of places—lighting, medical imaging equipment, motors, and many other product categories. I recently heard about a surprising use of a NEMA standard—a dishwasher safe, waterproof computer keyboard. The company says the products are…